Handmade rug



Patented Sept. 5, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDMADE RUG MyrtleDye McConnell, Chicago, Ill. Application January 26, 1942, Serial No.428,301

4 Claims. (ores-110) One object is to provide a rectangular rug withoutturning the rug over during the process of making the rug. In otherwords in the' prior practice it has been necessary after crocheting onerow in regular fashion to turn the rug over and crochet a new row in thesame fashion (with the rug turned over) to counteract the tendency ofthe stitches to veer to the right. In my process this turning over ofthe rug is not necessary in order to keep the stitches from'veer-Another object is to provide in such a rug stitches which are alike whenviewed from the right side of the rug. This results in clearness of thedesigns incorporatedin the rug. Another object is to save material.According to the prior practices, the threads which were used in thedesign, be they one, two or more, must all be carried to the end of therow, as extra material, so as to be available for the design when againreached, upon the return. In other words the extra colors are carriedalong within the ground or basic stitches but where the crocheting isloose, as it always is, with such crocheted work, the colors showthrough the openings resulting in obsecuring thedesign. By my method aright and wrong side is provided for the rug and the extra threads thatform the design are cut off in convenient lengths so'as to be used againwhen the design is reached, thus obviating the necessity of carrying thedesign threads in balls as in the prior practice and preventing tanglingof the threads.

Another object is to provide firmness and smoothness of the body of therug. This is done bypractically eliminating the holes and ridges. In theprior art the ridges and holes resulting from the crocheting arerelatively large and increase in size with the weight and size of therug, compelling such rugs to be dried in position on the floor. With myinvention the rugs may be hung up to dry.

Another object is to provide a crocheted rug having the afghan stitchover a filler with a block design crocheted in. The stitch with thefiller must be alternately over the filler and under the filler bothstitch-wise and row-wise. By this is meant that the first stitch must bepassed over the filler and when that stitch comes to the next row thestitch must be under the filler.

I accomplish these objects by the process and combination of threads, ashereinafter described and illustrated in the drawing, in which- Fig. 1illustrates the method of making the single crochet species inaccordance with my invention, at the point where it difiers ordinarysingle crochet;

Fig. 21s a similar view illustrating the from the Stitch at an advancedpoint;

Fig. 3 illustrates the method of adapting the afghan stitch to afil1er,showing the threadbeing drawn over the filler;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the next stitch with the thread beingdrawn under the filler.

Referring more in detail the invention consists of an adaptation, of theordinary single crochet which is usually 'made by drawing the threadthrough the two top threads of the stitch made in a previous row, thusputting each stitch slightly to the right of the stitch below, whichmust be counteracted by turning the work over and making the next rowwrong side out, in order to keep the edges straight, and forma perfectrectangle. This method produces rows of holes and ridges which becomelarger with the size and weight of the rug, necessitating the drying ofthe rug flat when washed, Each stitch differs from the one beneath itrendering any design more or less obscure.

There is no right or wrong side to the work, therefore the oneor morethreads of a different color used in the designmust b carried incontinuous balls inside the basic or ground stitches from side to sidenecessitating the use of more thread. The threads so used are subject totang-ling and twisting so that much time must be lost in untangling theballs. The stitches of the basic or ground thread do not entirelyconceal the design threads resulting in further obscuring any design.These difliculties lead many designers to omit crocheting any designs inthe work, and to super-impose them on the finished article by means ofcross-stitch. a

In my invention, the single crochet is made by drawing the threadthrough the middle of the stitch, thus putting one stitch directly abovethe one in the previous row, in which it fits, practically eliminatingthe rows of holes and the ridges. When the end of a row is reached thelast stitch is pulled out sufiiciently to put the ball of thread, usedas the basic or ground thread, through the loop, the stitch is thenpulled up tightly, the released thread is drawn back taut,

to the beginning of the next row, drawn through the first stitch of theprevious row, thus avoiding the ends and knots which would be caused bybreaking the thread. The thread thus drawn back acts as a filler addingto the firmness and weight of the body of the rug. The backgroundstitches are taken over this thread until some portion of the designbeing followed, occurs, when the background thread is carried forwardinside the design stitches, which are introduced when they first appearin the design being used, by drawing one end of a two yard or morelength through the last two stitches on the needle, of the previousground-work stitch. The end of the design thread just drawn in, whichshould be an inch or two long is crocheted over along with the twoground-work thread to fasten it. When the number of design stitchesrequired -is completed the background thread is drawn through the lasttwo stitches on the needle of the design thread, which is then dropped,to be used again in the next row as required. This results in an economyof material. Should any .considerable distance occur between the partsof the design using the same color, another thread is introduced and ifthe thread so used is not sufiicient to complete the design, anotherthread maybe tied on. In the case of single crochet rugs, made around anafghan stitch center the veering to the right of the stitches iscorrected without distortion, making the introduction of designpossible, and making for better form in the ultimate shape of the rug.

The ordinary afghan stitch has never to my knowledge been used for rugsbecause of its lack of firmness and weight and never to my knowledgehave designs been crocheted in, but are usually super-imposed by meansof cross-stitch. A filler has been used before in single crochet butnever to my knowledge has it been used in the afghan stitch whichrequires entirely difier ent treatment. The process of combining afiller with the alfghan stitch and crocheting in the designs isaccomplished Joy-making the first row according to the ordinary method,(using a row of chain stitch, drawing a thread through each stitchkeeping all the stitches on the needle, when row of chain stitch is usedup, a thread is drawn through one of the stitches on the needle, andthen through two at a time until the right side is reached). At thispoint the filler is laid along the top of the row just made from left toright, behind the needle and in front of the thread in position at theright side of the rug. The thread is drawn over the filler and under thefirst perpendicular stitch of previous row. The next stitch is made bydrawing the thread under the filler, and through-the next perpendicularstitch. Repeat .over and under the filler alternately until all thestitches in the row are on the needle carrying the filler taut on top ofthe previous row, drawing the thread through one stitch, and thenthrough two at a time back to the right side of rug. The filler is thenturned back toward the left side of rug. With the thread on the rightside of the filler and needle in position at the right side of the rug,it is drawn under the filler and through the first perpendicular stitchof previous row. The next stitch is drawn over the filler, and repeatedunder and over the filler which is carried forward taut to the end ofthe row, when the thread is drawn through the two outside threads of thelast stitch of previous row, processing as before directed, back to theright side of the rug. The filler is turned again toward the right sidebehind the needle and in front of the thread and drawn taut tocorrespond with the stretched out width of the rug.

The first stitch is again taken over the filler, the next under thefiller, this is important as it alternates the stitches over and underthe filler both stitch-wise and row-Wise and prevents a ridgyappearance, providing a smooth surface. Explicit directions forintroduction of designs are furnished with individual patterns. Thistype of rug is usually made in sections or strips (since a limitednumber of stitches can be put-on one needle vat a time) and thecorresponding loops of filler at the end of each row sewed together, theseam being covered {on the right side by a chain stitch of a contrastingcolor made through the rug.

What I claim to be new is:

1. A rug or like fabric structure composed of afghan stitches and afiller.

2. A rug or like fabric structure composed of rows of afghan stitchesand a filler, stitches of a row extending both stitch-wise androw-wisealternately over and under the filler.

3. A crocheted rug or like fabric structure comprising a body having aright side and a wrong side, said body consisting of interconnected rowsof stitches each arranged right side out, and filler strands extendingthrough stitches of the rows in parallel relation to each othercontinuously between opposed marginal edges of the body.

4. A crocheted rug or like fabric structure comprising a body having aright side and a Wrong side, said body consisting of interconnected rowsof stitches each arranged right side out, each stitch of a row beingmade through the middle of a stitch disposed immediately in line withthe next adjacent row, and filler strands extending through stitches ofthe rows in parallel relation to each othercontinuously between opposedmarginal edges of the body.

MYRTLE DYE MCCONNELL.

